Research Article Journal of Tropical Disease and Public Health J o u r n a l o f T r op i ca l D i se a s e s & P u b l i c H e a l t h ISSN: 2329-891X OPEN ACCESS Freely available online J Trop Dis Vol. 9 Iss. 1 No: 268 1 Environmental Risk Factors of Hookworm and Strongyloides stercoralis Infections Among School Children in Rural Areas Kutai Kertanegara Regency, Indonesia Blego Sedionoto 1,2* , Sueptrakool Wasessombat 1 , Nutjaree Jeenduang 1 , Chuchard Punsawad 3 , Witthaya Anamnart 4 , Jitbanjong Tangpong 1 1 School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Thasala, Thailand; 2 School of Public Health Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia; 3 School of Medicine Walailak University, Thasala, Thailand; 4 School of Public Health, Walailak University, Thasala, Thailand ABSTRACT Background: Hookworm and S. stercoralis are still challenge in public health problem especially in developing countries where have environmental risk factors that are potential for transmitting of hookworm and S. stercoralis in Kutai Kertanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia have high-risk factors of the prevalence of hookworm and S. stercoralis especially environmental risk factors. Methods: In this study was showed the infection rates, correlation analysis between risk factors, and prevalence of hookworm and S. stercoralis were used for statistical analysis. A cross-sectional study was performed among 107 school children participants from rural school children of Kutai Kertanegara Regency, Indonesia. This study used two diagnostic methods: Kato Katz and Koga agar plate culture/KAP culture for diagnosing hookworm and Strongyloides infections. Pearson chi-square analysis was used to the study correlation between environmental risk factors with hookworm and S stercoralis infections. Results: Hookworm and S stercoralis were found in this study; 37 (31.8) and 11 (10.3%) respectively. hookworm infection has been correlated significantly with school location (OR: 1.78 (95%CI: 0.87-3.71, p-value=0.006). While S. stercoralis infection has correlated significantly such as school location (OR: 1.28 (95%CI: 0.73-2.23, (p=0.027), Environmental risk others have not significantly correlated with hookworm infection among school children. While S stercoralis infection has correlated with environmental risk factors such as the texture of soil (OR: 5.50 (95%CI: 0.84-36.01, p-value: 0.010), wet soil surrounding houses (OR: 5.50 (0.84-36.02, p-value: 0.010). School location in surrounding rice field (OR: 5.50 (95%CI: 0.84-36.02, p-value: 0.012). Elevation in hill area (OR: 5.50 (95%CI: 0.84-36.02, p-value: 0.010). Conclusions: This study has explained the determinant of environmental risk factors and the prevalence of hookworm infection and S. stercoralis in school children. The risk factors should be used for preventing the program of the reduced prevalence of hookworm and S stercoralis infections in school children, especially in rural areas. Keywords: Environmental risk factors; Hookworm; S. stercoralis; School children; Indonesia Correspondence to: Blego Sedionoto, Faculty of Public Health Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia, Telephone: +6281350016616; E-mail: blego_kesling@yahoo.com Received: November 5, 2020; Accepted: November 18, 2020; Published: November 29, 2020 Citation: Sedionoto B, Wasessombat S, Jeenduang N, Punsawad C, Anamnart W, Tangpong J (2021) Environmental Risk Factors of Hookworm and Strongyloides stercoralis Infections Among School Children in Rural Areas Kutai Kertanegara Regency, Indonesia. J Trop Dis 9:265. Copyright: ©2021 Sedionoto B, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. INTRODUCTION The prevalence of hookworm infection and strongyloidiasis is of serious public health concern globally. Hookworm infection and strongyloidiasis are prevalent in poor rural communities in tropical and subtropical areas in many developing countries [1]. They are transmitted through protected contact with soil are endemic in tropical and temperate regions. The prevalence of hookworm infection and strongyloidiasis was estimated in 2010 that 438.9 million people were infected with hookworm and 100 million with strongyloides. Almost 70% of these infections occur in Asia [2-4]. Hookworm infection and strongyloidiasis are transmitted through protected contact with soil are endemic in tropical and temperate regions. Humans acquire the hookworm infection and strongyloidiasis through direct skin contact with infective third- stage larvae where the soil was contaminated by human feces penetrate the intact human skin and eventually reach the small intestine [5]. Generally, hookworm infection and strongyloidiasis are found among poor people with poor environmental sanitation 2021.9.265 doi:10.35248/2329-89 1X.